Today, Congresswoman Deborah Ross (NC-02) released the following statement on the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting in the Hedingham neighborhood in Raleigh:

“Today, I mourn with the families and loved ones of the five lives we lost one year ago in a horrific mass shooting that changed Raleigh forever. One year later, the pain and heartbreak caused by this senseless violence still reverberate throughout our community. Gun violence has plagued our schools, businesses, houses of worship, and other public spaces for far too long.

“In the year since this tragedy, I have been inspired by the strength, love, and care that helped guide our people through this dark period. However, no American should be forced to endure this kind of extreme anguish and grief. Now more than ever, we cannot sit idly by and accept the current epidemic of gun violence as a permanent fact of American life.

“I am extraordinarily grateful to community leaders and local law enforcement, who have been leading the charge in Wake County through gun violence education, awareness, and prevention. Congress took momentous steps forward last summer by passing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act after nearly three decades of inaction, but it simply is not enough. While nothing we do will ever bring back the lives lost to gun violence, I will keep fighting in Congress to pass commonsense gun safety measures to make our communities safer and ensure our children do not live in fear.”